Realizing the potential of smart cities will require public-private cooperation and security by design.
Smart city and communication network concept. 5G. IoT (Internet of Things). Telecommunication.
The idea of smart cities is starting to take shape as the digital age develops. A city that has developed public-private infrastructure to support waste management, energy, transportation, water resources, smart building technology, sustainability, security operations, and citizen services is called ” smart city”. Realizing the potential of smart cities will require public-private cooperation and security by design.
A smart city functions as a laboratory for applied innovation. Automation, robotics, enabling nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence (human/computer interface), printed electronics and photovoltaics, wearable devices (flexible electronics) and information technologies such as predictive and real-time analytics, supercomputing, wireless networks 5G, secure cloud computing, mobile devices and virtualization are some of the fascinating technology trends of the digital age influencing the development of smart cities.
Cities have generally become “smarter” following the shift from analog to digital technologies in recent years. Such cooperation involves facilitating coordinated operational actions. This also includes the exchange of situational knowledge.
Smart cities reduce costs and resource consumption, increase public participation and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of municipal services through the use of digital technology for information and communication. communication. These types of digital technologies are used by smart cities to facilitate information and communication, reduce expenses and resource consumption, enhance public participation, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of municipal services.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are already impacting the design and operation of smart cities. One area that AI and ML can support is to facilitate architectural design and construction for optimal usability and performance. Additionally, AI and ML can facilitate Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR) products by integrating orchestration processes, automation, incident management and collaboration, visualization and reporting under a single interface .
A smart city is made up of many different verticals, technologies, and regulatory constraints that present a variety of interactions and obstacles. A public-private partnership is needed to design and build a “smart and secure city,” integrating personnel, regulations, procedures, environmental sustainability and technology from the public and private domains throughout the planning phase.
Waste management, energy, smart building technology, healthcare, transportation, waste management and security services are all included in smart cities. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the global market potential for smart city categories such as transportation, healthcare, buildings, infrastructure, energy and governance will reach $2.465 trillion by 2025. Smart cities will create business opportunities worth $2.46 trillion by 2025 (frost.com)
While the public sector is in charge, the private sector owns the majority of vital urban infrastructure. A secure smart city can only truly thrive under the auspices of a public/private partnership because of this ownership component (infrastructure, energy, agriculture, construction, healthcare, transit, and government). Public/private partnerships are essential to the success of Smarty City operations that provide essential services and benefits. Such partnerships can help agencies reduce costs, simplify operations and are easily scalable as needs increase or decrease.
Network cybersecurity technology concept with graphic secure lock icon and global network line … [+]
Smart city security components
For a Smart City to effectively undertake operations related to security and protection of citizens, security is also a crucial element. Increasing complexity and the range of risks make cooperation between the public and private sectors more crucial than ever. It seems logical to intensify collaborations between the public and private sectors to counter cyber and physical threats to vital infrastructure.
Maintaining the security of a smart city is an important task because the urban security ecology of its citizens can be affected by various events and dangers, such as criminal activities, terrorism, weather disasters, and natural disasters. Smart urban technologies are emerging due to the increasing complexity of our cities and the connectivity of the Internet of Things. Unfortunately, the dangers are also evolving and expanding. A city must be more than just connected and easily accessible. The concept of “Secure Smart City” is evolving rapidly and security is essential. To create and protect, strong public-private partnerships are necessary.
Please also see my article: 4 Evolving Technology Areas of Intelligent Cybersecurity (forbes.com)
Components of a safe city
Government and private infrastructure must be put in place in order to carry out operations and provide technology that secures and protects residents in order to maintain a safe and secure city.
This includes: 1) Mutual communications, situational awareness and information sharing.
2) Coordinated operations management tasks to avoid, reduce, address and resolve problems
3) the acquisition of numerous technologies to improve cybersecurity and physical security. Examples of technologies include sensors, scanners, obstructions, intelligence, biometrics, audio and video surveillance, and data analytics.
Protocols between the public and private sectors are crucial for planning and accountability in building a safe and secure city. Situational awareness relies on appropriate communication and information exchange. First responders, law enforcement, and public and political leaders must work together, train together, and be able to communicate in order to recognize and respond to ever-changing dangers.
Being able to cope with the increasing sophistication of threats is another extremely difficult task. This is a difficult undertaking that requires prior incident mapping. This mapping involves the use of Horizon network monitoring and diagnostics, predictive analytics, and well-informed risk management planning. In the modern digital age, much planning can be automated through the use of big data, artificial intelligence and algorithms. Case management, situational awareness, and mitigation are just some of the exciting ways the government is integrating data analytics into homeland security initiatives. However, human oversight is still necessary because everything is error-prone.
All of these technologies have applications related to security in smart cities, although their primary objective is to facilitate services to citizens. Dispersing explosives through robotics and detecting CBRNE threats through mobile chemical and biological sensors both improve public safety. Surveillance cameras and other integrated security systems and sensors can be used to monitor criminal activities and terrorist threats.
The exponential transformation of our civilization through emerging technological growth has ushered in a new renaissance. Smart cities are an inevitable outcome of this transformation and public/private partnerships and good security by design are key elements that will enable them to thrive.